Many of us familiar with the ‘establishment’ candidates are cautious about Rick Snyder because we don’t know much about him and we’re not sure of his stances on conservative issues and specifically social conservative issues.

(*Editor note. Some people will look at any information on a candidate and dismiss it by saying something like, “Well they could be lying.” If you’re one of these people, ultimately there is no reason to spend time looking in to a candidate in the first place, seeing everything you find is easily dismissed with, “Well they could be lying.” This information is for those who at least think this guy is trying to be truthful.*)

I decided to do some research, so maybe we could become more informed on this guy who won the nomination for the GOP. If I miss any issues, please send your question to mail@michiganconservatives.net and I’ll try to find the answer.

Pro-life Stance

As a strong pro-life and pro-family candidate for governor, I am strongly committed to the rights of the unborn. I fundamentally disagree with the passage of the recent federal health care reform for many reasons, one of which is that it fails to protect the sanctity of life. Contrary to much of what has been reported about President Obama’s executive order, it does not prohibit tax dollars from subsidizing insurance plans that cover abortions. It is shameful that tax dollars earned by the hardworking residents of Michigan could be used to pay for abortions

As Governor, I will get rid of the worst business tax in the country and replace it with a simple and fair solution that reduces the tax burden by 1.5 billion dollars-a flat corporate income tax. -Rick.

Q: Would you uphold the 2nd Amendment and support the rights of gun owners as well as the hunting industry?

A: In one word: absolutely. I actually own three guns myself. I have a 12 gauge shotgun and two .22 rifles that I use for target shooting. I believe the 2nd amendment also protects the right of citizens to have a gun in their home to protect their family and property. I also support the rights of gun owners to responsibly carry their gun, as long as they have attained the legal permit. While I’m not an avid hunter, I support the industry and believe it plays an important role in our economy and quality of life. It also can have a valuable environmental conservation impact and I would work to streamline the processes so that hunters get better customer service from the state and local governments. We have a long tradition in our state of supporting gun rights and the hunting industry in Michigan and I would continue to support that tradition as Governor.

Q: You’ve said that you’re pro-life, but why did you support the stem cell initiative and how do you reconcile the two?

A: I am firmly pro-life. I understand that this is a very personal and passionate issue for many of us. At the same time, in today’s society it has become a very divisive issue. Good people can and have drawn different conclusions. I have a strong belief in the value of human life, which I believe begins at conception and includes human embryos. I also believe that the sanctity of life should be upheld. As I struggled with my personal choice on this issue, I ultimately decided that stem cell research and its possible life-giving potential would be a better alternative than discarding unused embryos. It is also my hope that scientific advances in the use of adult stem cells will soon make embryonic stem cell research unnecessary. I understand that not everyone can agree with my position on this issue. Ultimately, the voters have decided this issue and as Governor I would uphold the voters’ wishes, regardless of my personal opinion. As Governor, my primary focus would be on the economy and creating better economic conditions that will give families more financial stability and significantly help address many of the social issues that most Michiganders care about.

This is a loaded question. We see he wants to cut get rid of the Michigan Business Tax. So that’s a step in the right direction. Everything I’ve read shows he isn’t intent on bloating government. I could post tons of stuff from his site and some could shout that it’s a sign he’s big government. Others could say, no no no that’s small government. So I’m going to leave that one up to you to decide. You know where to look for more information.

Targeted Tax Breaks – Business Incentives

The use of incentives should include performance objectives, reportable results, and be transparent to citizens. The state currently gives out $6.3 billion more in tax credits, deductions and incentives than it takes in yearly in tax revenue – more than $30 billion a year in handouts that are supposed to be stimulating our economy. There is little transparency or accountability in what return the state is getting on those investments. Economic development incentives should be used sparingly and measured against the actual number of targeted jobs created to make the data more reliable and less subjective. The results should be posted online for everyone to see.

Career politicians have used regulatory issues to generate revenue amidst a declining business base and done so in a way that has added cost and achieved inferior results. Since 2002, General Fund support for Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) programs has decreased by over $64 million. During that same time period, regulatory fees increased by over $76 million, effectively shifting program costs of the DEQ to the business community and local units of governments.3 Not only are excessive fees bad for job providers and local governments, they send a clear message that Lansing will continue undisciplined fiscal practices at all costs. A Burdensome Permitting Process Increases The Cost And Frustration Of Doing Business In Michigan

The state’s permitting approval process gets bogged down at multiple points. Backtracking is common and time limits are essentially meaningless because the state’s regulatory environment is a complex web of federal, state and local regulations. Time is money for businesses and Michigan’s regulatory environment is costing Michigan jobs and damaging the state’s reputation.

I don’t claim this is an exhaustive list. This shouldn’t be considered an endorsement of Rick Snyder. I’m just reporting my findings. If you have more questions for research on this guy, email the site. mail@michiganconservatives.net

Dear Sir,
You have fallen victim to actually believing what a candidate says while running for office, as evdenced by using Mr. Snyder’s own website as your evidence. Instead, you must look at what they have done. If Rick Snyder is such a strong pro life candidate, then why did he refuse to answer the Right to Life of Michigan PAC’s questionnaire? Why did he refuse to meet with them? These seem like valid questions.

Mr. Snyder refused to answer multiple PAC questionnaires, not just RTL’s. He has publicly stated he is not interested in catering to any particular PAC and stuck to his promise of taking ZERO (0) PAC dollars for his campaign. This freedom from 3rd-party influence, be it Uber-Conservative (RTL) or Liberal (Unions), made Rick a stand-out in the primaries and a clear choice for anyone who is interested in Government being “Of the People” rather than for Special Interests!

It’s important for Conservative voters who feel strongly about the RTL platform to note that “42+% of women who have abortions are at or below the poverty line.” What this statistic means, is Conservatives who care about the Right To Life Platform should focus on Economic Growth & Prosperity as the Best Way To Achieve RTL Goals!

This has nothing to do with business issues and is used as a exclusive scare tactic. These were not used in the Republican Party Platform twenty years ago. I’m young and could vote Democrat…just a thought!

I’m sorry but many Americas were duped by what Obama told them just as Michiganders were duped by what Snyder told them. Actions and Associations speak louder than words. Those 2 factors alone caused many Dems to cross over the party line and vote for him. That speaks volumes. We Must NOT overlook this again!! Wake Up People!!

Joannne, your point is well taken. Yes, the past often predicts the future.

But, just looking at the past and present and voting is not enough. We must, as conservatives, NOT fall back into complaciencey AGAIN as we did post-Reagan and post-Contract With America. Besides never letting up on spreading our conservative message, (because the secular socialists never let up) we must hold the feet of (presumably) conservative candidates that we DO elect to the fire if they do not carry thru with election promises. On the day after the General in November we are not through. Semper Vigilo.

Being against stem cell research today is in itself immoral. None of us has the right to slow the progress of research to help people, as it could help those that were dealt a bad hand in life. Also, taking a stand against abortion for rape victims, and unwanted incest by parents; or other family members on young adults; is also abhorrent. I don’t understand the self righteous mindset people have to think they should govern other peoples lives. Because it’s God’s plan? How do you know that God is against all abortion and stem cell research? You don’t, so get off your high horse and stop being conceited.

Dear Bryan, Adult stem cells are the key to the future, but embryonic stem cells have so far proved not only worthless, but dangerous (cause tumors, etc.).
We can help people without killing embryos. And as for rape and incest, that baby is still a living human being, the child of its mother. To kill it is like raping the woman again, and does not solve her problems. In cases of incest, abortion is often used to cover up the crime, leaving the victim in bondage. The best solution here is to give the baby up for adoption to one of the many couples who would give anything for a child.

People, wake up and realize that you may not see abortions as moral or just, however until you live a horrible or horrific ordeal which left you pregnant and unsure of what to do with a child you never intended to have keep your opinions to yourself. Getting pregnant is not always by choice and sometimes is forced..RAPE. This item should never be brought up in an election, it’s a personal and very private matter that is between a woman and her provider. Who are you to judge!

You’re all getting in a tizzy about rape when the morning after pill is now standard in a rape kit. Also, rape and incest probably represent very little percentage of abortions while irresponsibility and stupidity represent the rest. People need to start being held accountable for their actions. They need to deal with it either by growing up and taking care of the mistakes they have made or giving the child up for adoption. There are people out there who would give an arm and a leg for a baby and can’t have one while we’ve got people out there getting knocked up left and right and just throwing them in the garbage can.